Selma Blair Apologizes in Instagram Video Weeks After Arrest Over Delta Flight Incident

Actor Selma Blair publicly addressed her Oct. 11 arrest for the first time on Friday, Oct. 30, posting an Instagram video in which she apologized to people she "disappointed," "hurt" and "frightened," while saying her lawyers had advised her not to discuss what happened. Blair, 54, was arrested at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport after an incident aboard a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles and has pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault, NBC News reported.

"Hi, it's me. I know I've been quiet for a couple of weeks since October 11, and you deserve to hear from me directly, and I'm sorry that it's taken this long," Blair said in the video, as transcribed by Deadline. "There is a legal matter going on, and my lawyers have asked me to not say anything about that day, and I'm listening to them. And I take this very seriously."

What Blair said in the video

Blair did not describe the events on the plane. "What I can tell you though, is very simple and the truest thing I know about myself, and that not one day ever have I intended to hurt or frighten anyone a day in my life," she said, according to Deadline. "And so, to the people that I disappointed, that I hurt, that I frightened, alarmed, I am so sorry."

She thanked people who had contacted her, saying their messages "meant everything to me and my son, who is my world, as is Scout, who is also OK." NBC News reported that Scout is her service dog, and Entertainment Weekly reported that Blair is the mother of 15-year-old Arthur, whom she shares with fashion designer Jason Bleick. "So right now, I'm going to be taking care of my health and my son, and thinking of you all with gratitude and love," Blair said at the end of the video, according to NBC News.

What authorities allege

According to a statement from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey cited by The Associated Press, Blair was accused of injuring two flight attendants on the plane bound for JFK, then kicking a police officer who was taking her to the hospital and kicking a nurse once she got there. CBS New York reported that the incident happened at 11 p.m. on Delta Air Lines Flight 938 and, citing a law enforcement source, that one flight attendant was bitten, the other sustained a laceration and the crew needed to restrain Blair.

In air traffic control audio cited by CBS New York, the pilot asked for medical personnel at the gate, describing "a bloody nose as well as some bite marks." The pilot added: "It sounds like the disruptive passenger also bashed her head on the bulkhead or something like that." Delta said in a statement that it "has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first."

Blair was taken to Jamaica Hospital for evaluation, according to CBS New York, and prosecutors said she kicked a Port Authority officer in the ambulance and assaulted a nurse at the hospital. She was arraigned in Queens on two counts of second-degree assault, which are state charges, and pleaded not guilty. A judge set bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond, the station reported, and the AP reported that the judge issued a protective order for the officer and the nurse. Her next court date is Jan. 19, 2027, according to Deadline.

The FBI also issued Blair a notice charging her with assault related to her actions aboard the aircraft, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The BBC described it as a federal summons for assault within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. CBS New York reported that no date had been set for the federal case.

Her representatives' account

At her Oct. 12 arraignment, Blair's attorney, Shawn Barnes, told the judge he did not believe the assault was intentional and said Blair had missed several doses of medication and fell and hit her head on the flight, NBC News reported. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Barnes also told the court Blair had been working long hours before the flight, adding, "These factors, coupled with the altitude, resulted in a state of severe confusion and disorientation."

On Oct. 16, Blair's representatives released a longer statement. "Selma Blair experienced a medical emergency on the flight," it said, according to the AP. "There was no attempt to open the door of the aircraft. Selma did not intend to harm anyone." The BBC reported that her team was denying media reports that she had tried to open the aircraft door. The statement said Blair, whose multiple sclerosis diagnosis has been public since 2018, also has pseudobulbar affect, "a neurological condition secondary to her MS, which bears directly on how a medical episode presents to people who do not know her." Citing the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the BBC said the disorder can cause sudden, involuntary episodes of laughing, crying or anger that do not match how a person feels.

The statement also said "the authorities took her dog from her"; CBS New York reported that the service dog was in the custody of her attorney. "Selma had never been arrested before Sunday night," the statement said. The AP noted that in 2016, Blair apologized for statements she made during a flight from Cancun to Los Angeles, saying she had mixed alcohol with medication and blacked out. Blair's major film roles include 1999's "Cruel Intentions," 2001's "Legally Blonde" and 2004's "Hellboy," according to the AP.